[From the 2025 Spring Magazine]
Preserving Tokens of Lost Days
This garage is a slice of automotive heritage that tells Dave DePaulo’s own racing story within it. "My dad was a successful Drag Racer and I loved hanging out in the garage with him."
Today, he loves all makes and models. In addition to preserving and sharing what he knows, Dave loves driving, and has raced cars for more than twenty years. “My best year was my last year,” he said.
During his career, Dave scored six wins on the dirt track at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway, as well as in Oswego, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. He was slingshot division points champion and now, he’s Chairman of the Board at the Saratoga Automobile Museum. He is also crafting a museum-level display space in his own backyard.
Showcased here are his trophies, uniform, and 10 of his original racing car hoods. There’s also Dave’s favorite item – a framed Gater Racing News article featuring a photo of him and an eight-year-old fan. “That boy would just stand at the chain link fence and gaze through it at the Winner’s Circle and dream. So, after one of my wins I brought him to the Winner’s Circle so he could celebrate and have his picture taken with us,” said Dave.
A Modern Muscle Car Mini-Museum
This fantasy garage is a next-level man cave, with slick 2’x 4’ large-format Italian porcelain radiant tile flooring, and 100 LED adjustable pot lights creating a runway strip in the 25’ vaulted ceiling. Within one of the two copper-roofed cupolas, the front half of a plane (salvaged from the Saratoga County Airport) is positioned at an angle so it appears as if its fully-costumed pilot is coming in for a landing. The eye-opening appeal of natural light pours through the garage’s 48 Anderson windows and four matching oversized glass doors, giving it a jaw-dropping, mid-century modern sleekness.
To balance the contemporary exterior with a showstopping retro-themed space inside (that was large enough to house his entire collection, which currently consists of 27 vehicles), Dave, the founder of Bella Home Builders, had eight 30’ Douglas fir trees planted within the property’s professional landscaping, integrating the garage seamlessly with its surroundings. The shiny cars in Dave’s collection aren’t just for show. There’s a circular driveway so he can take out any car, at any time, for a joyride.
Burning for Adventure
As much as Dave loves cars, he may love to cook and entertain more. The garage’s full kitchen features custom-built self-locking metal cabinetry, original neon advertising signs, and a vintage Coke machine next to a one-of-a-kind bar that was a particularly challenging build, said Dave. Constructed from a salvaged Ford F150 pickup bed, it required precise framing for a smooth latch when opening and closing (that doesn’t joggle the fully illuminated glass bottles above).
Dave and his wife, Margaret, have hosted parties for more than 140 people in this space, including a sock-hop style celebration for Dave’s mother, Kathleen’s, 80th birthday.
Even the couple’s three teenage children appreciate the old-school fun here. There’s a foosball table, an antique 1930 dime slot machine, and a pinball machine (plus, the cornhole comes out when the weather’s nice). The built-in entertainment center delivers an awesome experience in surround sound. Custom shelving houses Dave’s racing memorabilia and a collection of 36 limited-edition classic car-shaped liquor decanters given to him by his very generous friends and clients; Lou and Lynn Ruggerio. The three oversized heated leather lounge chairs have cupholders in the arm rests, lights, and removable side tables for the ultimate in viewing.
Talking Shop
Behind the custom-trimmed doors is the shop where these vehicles are kept in tip-top shape. While the brand-new Corvette zo6 is a rocket right from the start, other cars on display here, like the cherry red 1967 Pontiac Firebird (similar to Dave’s first car) have been painstakingly restored.
While Dave loves muscle cars, he also respects high-performance vehicles, daily drivers, and the charm of classic cars. Scattered around the room are several motorcycles and an ultra-rare pink 1950s Vespa from Italy.
The garage’s eight restored gas pumps (one a massive 12’ Gulf pump from the 1920s) are remnants of a bygone era. Dave likes cars that are fun to drive, even today’s electric models, he said, like the Tesla Model S Plaid he had that went from 0 to 60 mph in two seconds - making it the fastest car on the road. Currently, he’s driving an Audi e-tron GT, for its unsurpassed comfort, performance, and beautiful styling.
While Dave is gazing at a blue 1941 Ford pickup, the driving force behind his collection moves him. He points to the truck’s pristine wormy maple wooden bed, with its supersmooth finish, hand-crafted metal stripping, and countersunk screws, and says, “Now, this is art that you just can’t buy.”
